Hydrology sector services
The Institute of Earth Sciences manages the hydro-meteorological network of the Cantone Ticino on behalf of the Ufficio dei corsi d’acqua, and thus has the possibility of continuously collecting data on the hydrological state of the Canton's territory. The sector is involved in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data relating to various hydrological parameters, through the hydrological monitoring of water temperature and level values, and in the climatic field through the collection of precipitation, temperature and humidity values. As part of the hydrological monitoring, the data collected are then processed to create flow curves, evaluate the flow duration curve and carry out low flow and high flow assessments (Q347, NMxQ, HQx). Since 1979, the sector has also been responsible for the preparation and publication of the hydrological yearbook of the Cantone Ticino, in collaboration the Ufficio dei corsi d’acqua.
The sector contributes to the accessibility of detailed information on the availability of water resources by providing and processing data from the cantonal hydro-meteorological network. It is also equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation for measuring flow rates in watercourses.
The sector contributes to the accessibility of detailed information on the availability of water resources by providing and processing data from the cantonal hydro-meteorological network. It is also equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation for measuring flow rates in watercourses.
Data supply and processing
Upon specific request, please send to idrologia@supsi.ch or to dt-uca@ti.ch, we provide data from the cantonal hydro-meteorological network, which collects information on:- Precipitation
- Air temperature and other climatic parameters
- Water height and flow rate
In addition to this data, other processing can also be provided:
- Various statistics on measured parameters
- Evaluation of the flow duration curve and evaluation of the Q347 flow rate.
- Elaboration of height-flow relations: by combining the hydrometric measurements taken and mathematical formulas, it is possible to elaborate a height-flow relation for the section under analysis.
Analysis of natural hazards and risks
Hydrological analyses are carried out for the assessment of flood flow rates of watercourses, hydraulic modelling for the determination of danger zones for flooding phenomena and debris flows.Both in-house developed software and commercial products are used.
The results of modelling can be used to draw up intensity maps, hazard maps or to assess the effectiveness of protective works.
Flow measurement in watercourses
Flow measurements are carried out on request for any type of watercourse, with three different instruments:- For torrential watercourses, conductivity measurements using the Sommer Tracer System instrument. The presence of large puddles of water and reduced mixing from the salt intake point to the measuring point can impair the success of the measurement.
- For fordable rivers, it is possible to measure the flow rate using a magnetic induction current meter. The section and different velocities are measured so that the flow rate can be calculated. The instrument used is OTT MF-Pro.
- For non-fordable rivers, the flow rate is measured with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP). The instrument used is the SonTek RS5 and allows great accuracy and flexibility for any type of watercourse.
Probe rental for water height measurement
To measure the level and temperature of a river or the height of the water table we provide and install probes pressure probes,temperature and conductivity.Simple installation and low maintenance requirements make it an optimal solution for continuous measurements.